<b>NEW YORK</b>

<b>Salmon River</b>

A fresh run of Coho salmon charged up the river Wednesday morning, said Ben from <b>All Seasons Sports</b> in Pulaski. A few Cohos migrated the river previously. But this was the first substantial run this season. Plenty of king salmon filled the river, and fishing for them was good. But kings still remained in Lake Ontario, mostly in 90 feet, though they were found anywhere from 150 feet to shore. Because so many kings remained in the lake, the river’s migration of salmon seemed like it would last long this year. The river flowed at 335 CFS, and that probably won’t change anytime soon, unless lots of rains fall. A few more steelheads than before arrived in the river, and a few brown trout, not many, were hooked from the waters. Egg sacks, artificial eggs and flies landed the salmon, and the color of the eggs seemed not to matter this year. Pink and blue eggs caught best last year. Chartreuse was most effective for flies, like egg patterns, like estaz, lately.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

<b>North Jersey</b>

A few anglers catfished on Delaware River, angling a few, said Joe from <b>Stokes Forest Sport Shop</b> in Sandyston. A few smallmouth bass were tugged from the river, and nothing was really heard about striped bass from the Delaware. Not a lot of anglers fished, and this was sort of an in-between season. But trout will be stocked starting October 8, and that will draw anglers. Customers who trout fish mostly work Big Flatbrook and sometimes Paulinskill River. In fall, they mostly fish salmon eggs, fathead minnows and spinners for trout. Currently, a few customers trout fished, picking up a few. “Nothing really great,” Joe said. Fishing on lakes somewhat slowed, because of drastic weather recently, like cold nights but days in the 90s. Mostly largemouth bass were taken, but nobody bailed them. A few anglers still got into crappies on lakes.

The fall trout stocking is coming, said Brian from <b>Ramsey Outdoor</b> in Succasunna. Stocking will begin on October 8, and a virus hit some of the fish at the hatchery, and some of the trout, including a thousand that were extra-large 3-year-olds, had to be disposed. No brown trout will be stocked, either. But apparently the stocking won’t be affected drastically. <a href="http://www.state.nj.us/dep/newsrel/2013/13_0092.htm" target="_blank">Click here</a> for a press release. Trout streams ran low, and rains could be used to raise them, but that’s typical in fall. Anglers mentioned low waters on Big Flatbrook. But cool weather this week probably helped trout fishing. A friend was hooking trout on Pequannock River on bead-heads and wooly buggers. Hybrid striped bass were really whacked at Lake Hopatcong in the middle of the night, like at 2 or 3 a.m., on live and dead herring. “And there’s a secret I can’t tell you (about how to catch them),” Brian said! Customers kept showing photos of big ones to almost 8 and 10 pounds. If anglers were into hybrids, the fishing was on.

A great turnout showed up for the Knee Deep Club’s walleye tournament on the lake this weekend, Laurie from <b>Dow’s Boat Rentals</b> in Lake Hopatcong wrote in an e-mail. They battled winds to fish, but lots of walleyes were nailed. Winning fish weighed 4 to 7 pounds, and smaller walleyes were weighed in. Hybrid striped bass to 8 pounds also hit, and Tony Farina checked in an 8-pound 5-ouncer caught off Chestnut Point. In other news, Gary Bruzaud nightcrawlered a 17-pound 14-ounce channel catfish. Big largemouth and smallmouth bass were also heard about that were axed in another tournament. A 5-pound 8-ounce largemouth and a 4-pound 7-ounce smallmouth were entered. “Those are some nice bass for Lake Hopatcong,” Laurie said. The lake will be drawn down 5 feet for dock repairs next week like annually. But the shop will remain open until November sometime, including for boat rentals and bait sales.

One angler smashed a 10-pound walleye from Passaic River in the Wallington and Passaic area on live bait, said Nick from <b>Meltzer’s Sporting Goods</b> in Garfield. A bunch of other anglers grabbed small walleyes from the river downstream from the Garfield falls on shiners and nightcrawlers. Smallmouth bass and small northern pike came from the river at Elmwood Park on shiners. In a bass tournament on Lake Hopatcong, a 5-pound 8-ounce largemouth and a 4-pound 7-ounce smallmouth were winners. The biggest fish, instead of the biggest bag, were awarded winners in the event. Lots of bass, including lots of 2-, 3- and 4-pound largemouths, were mugged in the contest. The largemouths mostly bit along docks or weed beds on drop-shots. At a largemouth tournament on Pompton Lake on Saturday, more than 14 pounds was the winning weight for a five-fish bag. At least five or six of the 17 or 18 boats came in with bags 10 to 12 pounds, so the fishing was good. Drop-shots at docks and weeds caught most. Tons of perch and some good catches of bass were heard about from Ramapo Lake. The waters are accessed by walking a trail maybe a mile. But the lake was beautiful, and the fishing was good.

<b>Central Jersey</b>

Trout streams ran clear and low, but fly anglers caught, said Angelo from <b>Efinger Sporting Goods</b> in Bound Brook. The conditions could be challenging, but challenge is part of the reason that anglers fish. Blue-winged olives and midges in sizes 18 to 24 hatched. Tan caddis probably sizes 14 to 18 and light-green-apple caddis sizes 18 to 22 were around. Angelo didn’t want to say trout were in pre-spawn, but the spawn was looming in the next couple of weeks. During the spawn, egg flies will be a “factor,” he said. Even during the early spawn, trout will begin to assume eggs should be around, getting caught on the flies. If Angelo had to recommend streams to fish currently, Musconetcong River was probably one, because of deeper areas during these low waters. But once fall trout stocking begins, the angling will pick up on the north and south branches of Raritan River. For the north branch, 920 trout were slated to be stocked, and for the south branch, 2,500 were. That’s enough to pick up the fishing, he said. Angelo fished Ken Lockwood Gorge at night during the full moon last week, like he said he would, in the last report. He reeled in a good-sized brown trout within 40 minutes. That seemed to prove the theory that browns become nocturnal feeders in summer, though autumn began on Sunday.  The fish supposedly come out during night from places like undercuts where they hide during daytime. The trip was Angelo’s first for trout at night, and he was out to see whether the fish did bite in the dark. He fished a white and pink Clouser Minnow in size 4, and explained in the last report that flies like a big streamer like that are fished to make noise or commotion, because the fish use their lateral lines to forage in the dark. See last week’s report for more discussion. Light-colored flies are fished when the moon sheds light, he said this week, and dark flies are used when no moon is out. Angelo explained the reason, but this writer didn’t quite catch what he said. In other types of fishing, like surf angling, dark lures are used at night, because when fish look up in the dark, the water surface appears light colored, so a dark lure can be seen better. But a streamer like a Clouser doesn’t swim along the surface, so maybe the reason is different.

Waters ran clear and at a good level for the coming trout stocking, said Dennis from <b>Murphy’s Hook House</b> in Toms River. Customers trout fish on rivers including the Toms, Metedeconk and Manasquan, and those are scheduled to be stocked on October 8. Leaves were yet to fall onto the waters, and leaves on the streams can become difficult for the fishing later in autumn. Eggs and Power Baits are stocked for the fishing. Nightcrawlers are on hand, and garden worms will be carried, for the angling. Shiners and killies are also stocked for other fishing. At other waters, bluegills bit in Ocean County College Pond, somewhat more aggressively than before. Waters cooled somewhat, making the panfish feed. Largemouth bass and a few catfish were picked from Pine Lake in Pine Lake Park.  One angler pulled catfish from the first lake among the three at Lacey Road on nightcrawlers. Nobody mentioned Manasquan Reservoir, but fishing should be jumping there for hybrid striped bass, largemouth bass and maybe some crappies. This was prime time.

<b>South Jersey</b>

Delaware and Raritan Canal turned out great fishing for crappies, yellow perch and largemouth bass, from Wilburtha Road in Ewing to Lambertville, said Tom P. from <b>Sportsmen’s Center</b> in Bordentown. The crappies were sizeable to 14 and 15 inches. All the fish jumped on Crappie Magnets and Perch Magnets. That included the bass, not large, up to maybe 2 pounds. Angling was on fire at the back of Lake Assunpink for largemouths and chain pickerel. Rubber rats fished along mats of weeds, plastic worms and buzz baits honked the bass. When Crosswicks Creek wasn’t flooded, excellent catfishing went down on baits like chicken livers, bunker or dead, frozen shiners the store sells. Trout fishing was good, including on Big Flatbrook, Wallkill River and Ramapo River. Some of the trout for the upcoming fall stocking had to be killed to stop a virus spreading at the hatchery. But the state reportedly has enough surplus that the stocking will be minimally affected.  

Like before, one angler kept beating largemouth bass from Puppyland Lake on shiners, said Ed from <b>Creek Keepers Bait & Tackle</b> in Blackwood. But now he also landed 10, though they were small, at Clementon Lake on shiners. Blackwood Lake had been drained for some reason, maybe because of dam work, so nothing was heard from there. Sunnies were played at Grenloch Lake on meal worms. Local waters slated for the upcoming fall trout stocking will include Grenloch, Oak Pond, Rowan’s Pond and Haddon Lake.

Cooler weather this week might’ve slowed largemouth bass fishing somewhat, but the fish had started to be caught a little more than before, said Andrew from <b>Blackwater Sports Center</b> in Vineland. They seemed to become used to the changing seasons better. The bass started to move deeper, and began to home-in on “moving” lures like chatter baits and Rat-L-Traps. They started to swipe jerk baits at “secondary points,” Andrew said. No specific locations were mentioned. But Andrew would guess that Rainbow Lake and Parvin Lake produced. Those are usually lakes to fish in winter, so they probably gave up catches in the cooling waters now.

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